Students of the Geldern comprehensive school explore Buchenwald: remind and learn!

Students of the Geldern comprehensive school explore Buchenwald: remind and learn!

In the first week of June of this year, the 10th year and the introductory phase of the Geldern comprehensive school experienced a very special excursion. From June 5th to June 8th the students drove to the important places in Buchenwald and Weimar to experience the historical responsibility and the cultural heritage of Germany up close. This trip was not just an excursion, but an intensive examination of the past and the Nazi history, which was initiated by preparatory workshops. These were developed together by teachers, parents and students to strengthen and promote awareness of the topic.

The program also included a barbecue evening that promoted the sense of community among those involved and provided open exchange. A special focus of the excursion was to visit the Buchenwald memorial. This place, which was built by the SS in 1937, housed one of the first major concentration camps in which people were deported from all over Europe. The leadership that was taken over by the teachers was particularly impressive. This personal and pedagogical discussion made the visit a thoughtful experience, which was characterized by quiet memory and intensive conversations after the visit. The pupils: Inside, quickly recognized how important the culture of remembrance is for today's values ​​of democracy.

Kulturstadt Weimar experience

After visiting the memorial, the students used the opportunity to explore the historic city of Weimar. This city is not only known for its literary and cultural history, but also for its complexity in German history. Here the students were able to experience Weimar as a living place of learning, combined the past and the present. These impressions play a crucial role in the formation of identity of the students: inside in the newly beginning upper level.

The excursion was supported by Marius Lantermann and supported by Eva Wiemers and Benjamin Jansen. The overall management was in the hands of Kati Bülow, Saiken Aengeister and Tanja Rathmer-Naundorf. The trip once again showed the value of extra -curricular learning, especially with regard to the complex questions of the past and orientation in today's world. It is important that schools act as places to deal with the Nazi past, as the EVZ Foundation (memory, responsibility and future) emphasizes. This has set itself the goal of further developing the culture of memory in the migration society Germany and promoting projects that stimulate the reflection of the history of National Socialism.

The student movement of the 1960s laid the foundation for these developments by broke through the silence of the post -war companies and demanded that their own history arise. The change in German memory culture is now an integral part of the state rush, as the current projects show in educational institutions. In this way, dealing with the past is not only understood as a memory, but also as an important orientation for the future.

The Buchenwald memorial, which still plays a central role in German memory culture today, offers various pedagogical programs and tours. Your opening times vary depending on the season, and it remains closed in the colder months from December 24th to 26th and on New Year and Monday. For those interested, the outdoor facilities are accessible every day until dark. Further information about the memorial can be found on the website of the memorial.